


The Faithful Servant

by Akumeoi



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Fairy Tale Curses, Fairy Tale Retellings, Fairy Tale Style, Fix-It, Happy Ending, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-13
Updated: 2018-11-13
Packaged: 2019-08-23 05:37:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16612913
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akumeoi/pseuds/Akumeoi
Summary: All know the story of the king who saved Eos from the scourge of its star. But who here knows the story of the faithful servant who saved the life of the king - the faithful servant who was the king’s secret love?





	The Faithful Servant

**Author's Note:**

> This is heavily inspired by [Lucky Luck](http://etc.usf.edu/lit2go/142/the-crimson-fairy-book/5143/lucky-luck/) from Andrew Lang's _Crimson Fairy Book_. I think it falls under ATU tale type 889, but I have altered it a bit so maybe not.

All know the story of the king who saved Eos from the scourge of its star. But who here knows the story of the faithful servant who saved the life of the king - the faithful servant who was the king’s secret love?

There once was a young king who had three faithful servants. The first was his Shield, who guarded the king’s life as if it were more precious his own. The second was his Hand, who carried out the king’s will as if it were identical to his own. And the third was a humble commoner who had befriended the king in his youth, a young man with no special distinctions aside from his courage, his goodness, and the deep abiding love that he held for the king.

After a long time spent asleep in the Crystal of Eos, the king awoke to an endless night. Immediately he set out for Hammerhead to find his three faithful servants. There, they greeted him with joy. But that very night, the king revealed to them that he would sacrifice himself and die before the journey’s end. The three servants were brokenhearted. 

“I would gladly give my life to save the three of yours,” said the King.

“And alas, you must, for it is the will of the stars,” said the Shield.

“We will miss you most terribly, but the decision is yours,” said the Hand.

But the third faithful servant couldn’t bring himself to speak.

That day - whether it was truly night or morning or afternoon they did not know in the long night - they all went to sleep in a caravan together, as they had in happier times. But the third faithful servant - Prompto, for that was his name - couldn’t bring himself to sleep. He tossed and turned in his narrow bed. At last he arose, resolving to fight off part of the demon horde that lived in the darkness until he grew tired. He left Hammerhead, heading for the safety of the nearby haven.

Now, Prompto was no ordinary human. His father was the wizard Verstael Besithia, who had through scientific arts made his son part demon. Over the course of the long night Prompto had learnt to understand the speech of other demons. Usually they only spoke of murder and death and the sweet taste of human flesh. But tonight, little groups of demons were congregating and speaking amongst each other excitedly about something else altogether.

Curious, Prompto approached a group of thunder bombs, remaining downwind to be sure they didn’t smell his human scent in the air.

“Today is a great day indeed,” said one. “Soon the king will be dead, and we demons will rule all of Eos!”

“Ardyn the Usurper will surely defeat him,” said the second bomb, in a voice like an unstoppable roll of thunder, “for he has been gathering power for 10 years, while the foolish king has been sleeping.”

“Ha!” said the third bomb. “I heard there is a way for the king to save himself, but he is too stupid to know how.” It laughed so hard that it began to bob up and down violently in the air, its mouth crackling with lightning. “The Ring of the Lucii has a sister, the Ring of Izunia. It is the source of Ardyn the Usurper’s powers. If the king could recover it, he might use its healing magic. But listen! Any human who overhears and repeats what we have said will be turned to metal up to his knees.”

Well! After hearing that conversation, Prompto’s heart began to beat faster. He had to find out more. So he continued walking through the desert, listening to the conversations of other demons as he went, all the while taking care not to be seen or heard by them.

He came upon a group of red giants. Each of the giants was twice as tall as Prompto and three times as broad. It was unusual to see two red giants together, let alone three.

“Have you heard of the Ring of Izunia?” said the first giant in a booming voice, as Prompto hid crouched behind a nearby boulder. “No-one I have met seems to know the manner of its use, which I am most curious to know.”

“There is nothing much to know,” the second giant said. “The king must bring it into the Crystal with him, where it will be purified by the Astral Plane and heal him of its own volition. But if he wishes to stay alive he is obligated to remove the Ring of the Lucii, or it will claim his soul as it did those of his forefathers. But any human who hears this and betrays what we have said will be turned to metal up to his waist.”

Prompto had now learnt how Noctis could get the Ring of Izunia and how he could use it, but that information meant nothing if he didn’t find out how Noctis could get back out of the Crystal afterwards. Prompto prayed to the distant Astrals for one more stroke of luck tonight. 

At last, he came upon a group of three mindflayers floating together. It was difficult to approach them without being seen, as there was very little cover save for a few low-growing bushes. Prompto crawled through these on his belly to sneak up on the mindflayers, and strained his ears for every word they said. 

“I just came out of Insomnia, and I have news,” the first demon was saying. “You’ve heard of the Ring of Izunia?”

“Oh, that’s old news,” the second mindflayer replied. These demons spoke in whispers edged like sharp silver blades. Just listening to them made Prompto’s whole body freeze as if his veins were filled with ice, but he held his ground - for Noctis. “We’ve all been gossipping about it all night. But what nobody seems to know is how the king can get out of the Crystal after he uses it.”

“O ye of little knowledge,” the first mindflayer scoffed. “The way to leave the Crystal is so simple I hardly dare speak of it. It’s laughable.”

“Oh, go on and tell us,” the third mindflayer reproached the second.

“All the king has to do to survive until the Dawn is to hold on to an image of his friends in his heart, and the Ring of Izunia will bring them back together as surely as the sun will rise,” the third mindflayer explained. “But any human who hears and repeats this will be turned to metal up to the top of his head and die.”

When he heard that, Prompto started up in excitement. This could be a way to save his beloved king. But as he did so, the mindflayers were alerted to his presence and immediately fell upon him with claws unsheathed. It was only by dint of his long experience that Prompto was able to summon his celestial weapons and fight them off. By the time he had slain them, the entire desert was alerted to his presence. But Prompto’s heart was strong and his aim was true, and he slew every demon that tried to harm him. By the time he reached the safety of Hammerhead he had killed a dozen or more.

Prompto was exhausted and the morning-dark was almost upon them, but the king had stressed the need to press on to the Crystal immediately. After just a short rest, Prompto joined the king, the Shield, and the Hand. They donned their royal garments and made their way to Insomnia. 

They had many adventures on the way, all of which would be too tiresome to recount at the present moment. Many of them involved slaying different kinds of evil demons, ones so big and fierce that they would turn your blood to ice just to look at them. Finally they came to the doors of the throne room of the royal Citadel.

Faithful Prompto’s heart and his mind were in a turmoil. Were he to speak, he would be turned into metal and die. But were he to keep silent, he would lose his dear friend, his reason for living. He turned to King Noctis and said, “Noct, I have to tell you something.”

“What is it, Prompto?” said the king.

“I know a way to save your life,” Prompto said. “Ardyn’s source of power is the Ring of Izunia. After he dies, you have to take it from him.”

As Prompto spoke, he felt a strange sensation in his legs. When he looked down, he saw that just as the demons had said, he was turning to metal from his feet to his knees. It looked like he were wearing the greaves and sabatons of a Magitek soldier. 

King Noctis gave a shout. “Prompto! What’s happening to you?”

“Don’t worry about me,” said Prompto, though his heart was beating very fast. “And after you’ve killed Ardyn’s spirit in the Crystal, you must remove the Ring of the Lucii at once. Cut your finger off if you have to.”

Still the metal advanced even higher, all the way up to Prompto’s waist. Ignis and Gladio started forward in dismay, but Prompto held up his hand to stop them. He locked eyes with Noctis and continued speaking. His lips trembled as he felt his chest constricted by the bands of metal armour. 

“Then, think of me and Ignis and Gladio. Remember us, hold us in your heart. Then the Ring of Izunia will save you from the Crystal, and you’ll live, Noct. You’ll live.”

And as he finished speaking, his face was turned to metal and he could move and speak no more. 

Seeing this, Noctis fell to his knees. “Prompto, what have you done?” he wept. Now he knew the secret seeing the Dawn with Ignis and Gladio, but he was as inconsolable as if they had all just been sentenced to death.

“He gave his life for you. Best not to waste it,” wise Ignis consoled him. 

“I would have gladly given my life for his instead,” Noctis wept. Still, he was a good king and knew that the destiny of many yet rested on his shoulders. He turned to face Ardyn the Usurper in single combat at last.

Well, everything happened as Prompto had foretold it. King Noctis had a long and arduous battle that lasted for the length of a day and a night. After the battle was over, he searched Ardyn’s body and discovered a ring set with a crimson crystal shard, shining like a tiny red star, hung around his neck on a silver cord. Taking the ring from the cord, he put it on his own finger. After saying farewell to his Hand and his Shield, he returned to the throne room to meet his fate. 

Outside the door King Noctis passed the metal statue that had once been Prompto, which now resembled a silent, unmoving Magitek soldier. He could not see what had become of his old friend without his eyes clouding over with tears. With no one to see him, he quietly pressed a kiss to the statue’s cheek, then hurried on into the throne room. 

There his heart was pierced by thirteen swords and he entered the Crystal of Eos. Once inside, the Ring of Izunia became purified and glowed pale blue. Now his body was filled with a soft and gentle power that lapped at him like the tide. He slew the soul of Ardyn the Usurper. As he watched his enemy fall, Prompto’s words rose to his mind and he stripped the Ring of the Lucii from his hand - right before it dissolved into pieces. Then he fixed his three servants’ faces in his mind, and felt himself drawn up, up through a column of light - back to the world of the living.

His companions found him sitting on the throne with his father’s sword across his lap, watching the sun rise through the hole in the wall, his face a picture of misery. 

After that the country of Lucis began to cast off the chains of the long night and to celebrate and grow. Everyone expected King Noctis to lead them, but good king though he was, he was completely inconsolable and would not think of touching the throne again. 

“Everything I’ve done was a mistake,” he would say, as he watched the sun rise after another sleepless night. “A world without Prompto isn’t a world worth living in.”

Gladio and Ignis were at their wits’ end trying to rule on their own. Ignis determined that as all the other Magiteks had fallen apart after the Dawn, Prompto must not have truly become one, but instead was simply cursed. Ignis hit upon the idea of searching for a cure to Prompto’s curse, but no books in the royal library could shed any light on the matter. Yet it was this futile search that finally aroused King Noctis’s attention and pulled him from his torpor.

“I see,” he said, “there might be a way to cure Prompto. Well, if you can’t find it I’ll go myself, and I will not rest until Prompto is alive again.”

So saying, he packed his bag with several cakes baked by Ignis for the road. He also took his father’s sword in a sheath on his hip, as the magic of the Armiger had disappeared with the Dawn. He was joined by his faithful Shield, as Gladio refused to allow him to go alone. The Hand remained behind to rule the kingdom in his stead.

First, King Noctis and his Shield journeyed east to the island of Galahad. They met many good people who still possessed the ability to cast the magic of Eos, but they did not find a way to break the curse. Next, they journeyed south to the watery city of Accordo and again did not find the knowledge they sought. Then, they journeyed north, to the floating islands of Tenebrae. Even the wise people who knew the secrets of the oracles could not shed light on how to break the curse. With each new failure, King Noctis fell even deeper into despair.

At last, Gladio said, “Noct, the one place we haven’t yet searched is Niflheim. I know it’s dangerous, but it’s the place Magiteks were made. There might be something that could help Prompto in the ruins of Zegnautus Keep.”

“You’d go with me?” Noctis said in surprise, for he had imagined that Gladio would not permit him to search such a dangerous and cursed place. The Glaceon’s ices had not yet melted and the land was a frozen tundra which they would have to cross on foot. 

“Of course I’ll go with you. ‘Smy job,” Gladio only said, shrugging. Noctis was moved by his friend’s kindness. It pained him that he could not live for Ignis and Gladio alone, as they were so good to him all the time. But he had to admit it now - Prompto was not just a servant, nor even a friend, but his one true heart’s desire. 

The journey to Niflheim took many days and many nights. It felt as though they were walking all the way to the end of the world. By day they trekked through the frozen landscape, and by night they slept huddled around a campfire for warmth. When they finally reached Gralea, King Noctis felt as if he had spent just as much time in the Niflheim tundra as he had waiting in the Crystal for the Dawn to finally come. 

But when they arrived at the fabled city in the crater, they found it all but ruined. Even Zegnautus Keep had fallen to pieces. A few living souls picked through the rubble of the city, searching for items that they might use to continue their meagre existence. Horrified, King Noctis ran towards the ruined Keep.

Just then, they noticed an old woman walking towards them, using a cane to navigate the wreckage. King Noctis and his Shield were shocked to see such an old woman in Gralea, knowing she must be a woman of exceptional wisdom and cunning in order to have survived the long night.

“Good morning to you, young man,” said she. “You have the look of a man with a broken heart. You must tell me of your troubles, and I will see if I can help you. But first, if you have any food to share it would not go amiss.”

Noctis felt around in his pack, which was at this point very light indeed. But he had one cake remaining that had been baked by Ignis at the start of the journey. It was somewhat stale, but the old woman did not seem to mind as he broke it into three pieces so that he could share it with her and Gladio. 

After they had eaten, Noctis said, “I am an unlucky king whose faithful servant has been turned into metal, and I want to know how to help him.”

“And so you should, for he deserves everything,” said the old woman. “Well, what are you wandering about here in Gralea for? It seems to me that you should go home and speak with Prompto at once. But first take three drops of blood from your left wrist and let them fall over the statue’s breast, that his metal ears might hear.”

No sooner had she said this than King Noctis was bidding her farewell and turning back to Insomnia, practically dragging Gladio behind him in his eagerness to test out her advice.

When King Noctis finally arrived at the Citadel, he burst into the room where the metal statue of Prompto stood. Taking his father’s sword, he pricked his left wrist and let three drops of blood fall over the metal chestplate covering Prompto’s heart.

“Prompto, I need to talk to you,” he began, but then he found that he could not go on. He was unable to work up the courage to tell Prompto his true feelings. To fill the silence, Noctis told the metal statue of his travels. Then he told it of his years in the Crystal, and when that topic was exhausted, he returned to speaking of their childhood together. Noctis talked to the metal statue for hours, though it made no sign that it could hear or understand.

“Prompto,” he said at last. “If you don’t stop being a statue, I… I don’t know what I’ll do. You said you’re ever at my side, but… I’m ever at yours, too. I love you.”

It was at those words that the statue’s fingers twitched. Noctis jumped back, drawing his sword. The statue raised its arm, movements slow and laborious from its long immobility and the lack of oil in its joints. It reached up and removed its faceplate. Underneath was Prompto’s dear, freckled face, which looked as if it had not aged a day since he had fallen under the curse.

“Noctis,” he said, “you must get me out of this armour at once. I want to kiss you so badly, but I can barely move.”

Noctis ran for Ignis and Gladio, who brought him a crowbar and and a screwdriver with all due haste. After Prompto was freed, Noctis kissed Prompto until both of them were completely pink in the face.

Soon after they were married, in the biggest and most impressive wedding that Lucis has ever seen. It was said that the feasting lasted for over a week. And if they have not moved away, then they are living there still.

**Author's Note:**

> So I did _not_ get into the Ever After zine. But I've always been drawn to Andrew Lang's fairy books, and once I had the idea for a Promptis fairy tale in my mind, I couldn't let it go. Aside from Lucky Luck, this tale is sort of an amalgamation of "how to know a true friend" type tales, plus stories where a royal person falls in love with a servant. Although in those tales, the servant is usually the hero of the story, and also royalty in disguise - or a brave/clever tailor, lol. 
> 
> "So you should, for he deserves everything," is a line from _the original story_. I just had to include it, because it's perfect!
> 
> Anyway, I hope you guys like this. Comments always welcome!


End file.
